Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

I have been trying to improve myself using psychology books for quite some time. Almost invariably, every psychology book I read will give me part of the solution, but not all of it. They will focus on one portion of the brains function and ignore all the rest. Books like The Power of Habit, The Willpower Instinct, and Flow, try to teach the reader about the brain, but only from one viewpoint. Each book answers questions, but it's like seeing only part of a painting. You don't know enough to really understand.Mastermind combines the knowledge from psychological breakthroughs and the books mentioned above (aside from the Willpower Instinct, instead Daniel Pink's Drive is referenced) and distills it all into a readable and comprehensive overview of the brain. Where the other books fall short, this book excels. By referencing all of these books, it is capable of giving "the whole picture" of the brain. There is never a feeling of only seeing part of the picture, it covers EVERYTHING.But not only does the book cover all knowledge of the brain, but it explains it in relation to Western Society's favorite archetypal hero, Sherlock Holmes. Mastermind uses the Sherlock Holmes abilities as a medium to explain the psychology of self improvement, which makes for fantastic reading.In summary: the book covers all of modern knowledge about using the brain to it's utmost potential, and explains it using Sherlock Holmes as a medium. The book is fantastic. I will be reading it again and again for years to come.

A brilliant topic, using one of literature's most famous characters as a springboard toward exploring how the mind works: Konnikova makes the point that studying how Sherlock Holmes solved his cases is more about noting that he was a man of intensely logical observation, not unfathomably magical powers; we're reminded that the character is human, after all. So we, too, can enrich our lives and world by becoming more intuitive and deductive, both. Most engaging and persuasive is the argument that there's no such thing as "multi-tasking": Short-lived focus on many things sequentially isn't the same as harnessing keener powers of presence and mindfulness.The book is written beautifully, and it's fun to read, with psychological information presented in a lively, palatable way; one needn't be an expert on the detective to enjoy hearing how our "brain attics" act as repositories out of which we all build the narrative threads of our lives. The caution that there's no easy path to true creative depths helps keep us honest as we explore how to free ourselves from our usual hazy thinking, which directly determines how rich and exciting our days end up. The reader emerges wanting to re-read all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work--a bonus; there's also an invigorating sense by the end that we are capable of tackling and refining what we store in our minds, the better to use it in ways that might astonish us.

As a retired Police Officer who also worked as a Detective, I have always been interested in Sir Arthur Conon Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and other detective stories. Even though I am well into my senior years I continue to be a voracious reader all kinds of books.When I saw this 273 page soft cover book (Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova) on Amazon I just had to purchase it. One of the many things we learned as police officers and detectives was the importance of developing our observation skills. As the old saying goes “the devil is always in the details.”This excellent book explores the various crime cases and the reasons behind Sherlock Holmes success in solving them as one of the world’s smartest and most successful detectives.This volume is organized in four detailed parts: The first part (Understanding yourself) covers the basics of the scientific method of the mind and the brain attic: what is it and what’s in there? The second part (From observation to imagination) explores stocking the brain attic: the power of observation, and exploring the brain attic: the value of creativity and imagination. Part three (The art of deduction) deals with navigating the brain attic: deduction from facts, maintaining the brain attic: education never stops. The final part (The science and art of self-knowledge) focuses on the dynamic attic: putting it all together and we’re only human.There is no question that to be a good detective one has to learn how to observe, think, reason and evaluate every detail possible when investigating a crime scene. Indeed, as I am sure Holmes would point out, one must not ignore even the most mundane or seemingly irrelevant detail in order to solve the crime puzzle. First off, you should know that this is not always an easy to read book and the techniques and principles must be studied in order to become anywhere near a Sherlock Holmes kind of observer; nevertheless, I found this book to be an interesting and informative read.If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and detective work this is a book you should check out.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective Combative Systems).